DEPSCoR Webinar Q&A.pdf

2022 Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) Webinar

Questions & Answers

June 22, 2022

1. Can you please clarify if the Applicant is required to be a U.S. permanent resident to be eligible?

There are no citizenship or residency requirements under this funding opportunity announcement (FOA).

2. Does the collaborator need to be in the same state?

For the Research Collaboration opportunity, the Applicant and Collaborator can be in the same state/territory or different states/territories as long as they are both in DEPSCoR-eligible states/territories. There is no preference. It really is about what is best for the research collaboration. If you happen to be from the same state, or the same university, that is fine, but there is no preference for that. If you are from different universities, different states, that is fine too, as long as both states are DEPSCoR eligible.

3. Can you have a DoD proposal that is pending when you apply for DEPSCoR?

If you are applying as an Applicant and your proposal is still pending and you have never served as a PI on a prior DoD award, you are still eligible to apply. However, if you receive an award from the DoD and are listed as the PI between now and when selections are made, you will become ineligible as an Applicant in the Research Collaboration program.

4. Can YIP recipients who are tenured be considered mentors?

Yes, a Young Investigator Program (YIP) recipient can serve as a Collaborator/Mentor.

We have had awards in the past under the Research Collaboration competition where the Applicant/PI has been a very senior full professor who has many years of experience but has never worked with DoD. And we have had applications in which the Collaborator is a very early career researcher but has had experience working with the DoD.

5. If someone serves as the PI for a DARPA grant, is this person still eligible as an

Applicant/ PI for DEPSCoR?

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is part of the DoD. So, if you are listed as the PI on a DARPA award within the timeframe outlined in the FOA, then you would not be eligible to serve as the Applicant under the DEPSCoR – RC FOA. You would be able to potentially serve as a Collaborator, provided you meet all other eligibility requirements.

6. If a potential Collaborator from my university serves as a PI of projects funded by

ERDC, is he eligible to be the Collaborator/Mentor?

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is part of the DoD.

So, if they serve as a PI on an award directly from ERDC and they meet all other eligibility requirements, then they would be able to serve as a Collaborator.

7. Is there a database to check if someone was funded by DoD? How can one find a mentor? Can you provide a list?

The Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) online database is one resource (https://discover.dtic.mil/products-services/), but it is non-comprehensive.

Unfortunately, we do not have an easily searchable comprehensive database. We encourage you to use the Connect & Collaborate bulletin on the RunGrants website to identify potential partners for the Research Collaboration opportunity (https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor).

8. Can a NASA EPSCoR or any other federal agency’s awardees be eligible if they haven’t received any DoD funding?

Receiving an award from other EPSCoR opportunities (e.g., through your state EPSCoR foundations, National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, and/or National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs) does not preclude eligibility as an Applicant for the DEPSCoR Research Collaboration competition.

9. Will you share the slides later?

The webinar slides will be available on grants.gov under the related documents tab and will also be posted on the DEPSCoR section of the Basic Research Office website under “News”.

10. For the DEPSCoR opportunity, you showed topics for Research Collaboration, but then also noted there were "broad topics?" Does this include any other DoD grant opportunity that DoD puts out (e.g., like the breast cancer one)?

For the DEPSCoR Research Collaboration FOA, the only topics for which we will accept submissions are the thirteen topics listed in the FOA. If you do not see a topic that is relevant to your research, I would encourage you to look more broadly for opportunities https://discover.dtic.mil/products-services/ https://dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org/program/depscor available throughout the DoD. There are non-DEPSCoR opportunities available all the time. I would encourage you to review the tri-service basic research office Broad Agency Announcements for additional opportunities and contact information for the basic research program officers.

https://www.arl.army.mil/ https://www.nre.navy.mil/ https://www.afrl.af.mil/AFOSR/

11. For Capacity Building, the IHE administrator is the Applicant. What role do we have? It is either Co-PI, or PI, or key personnel?

For the Capacity Building opportunity, the Applicant/PI serves as the team lead and must be from the IHE executive office (e.g., Vice President of Research). Other co-PIs and key personnel can be listed as key personnel in the application.

12. Will someone be eligible as a Collaborator if she/he was just recently awarded a

DEPSCOR in 2022?

Yes, as long all other eligibility criteria are met, and the DoD DEPSCoR award is active by Sept 30, 2022.

13. Which program managers may we approach to discuss Capacity Building white paper ideas?

Dr. Jennifer Becker, DEPSCoR Program Manager is the POC for the Capacity Building FOA. Her contact information is in the FOA.

14. Can the Capacity Building grant be used to establish or augment an existing research center on a university campus?

For a Capacity Building application, applications must identify what gaps exist in your current basic research capability and how this funding would address those gaps.

Strategically, what is missing and what is needed? We want to provide opportunities for new capability and new capacity not just increasing capacity and capability that already exists. What new capacity and/or what new capability is strategically needed to achieve excellence in a basic research area relevant to the DoD?

15. Is there a suggested number of DoD grants the mentor has to be on for a Research

Collaboration award? Also, is there a possibility of adding an additional Collaborator other than the Applicant/PI and Collaborator/Mentor?

The Collaborator needs to have served as a PI on at least one DoD award within the timeframe provided in the FOA eligibility criteria. The DEPSCoR – RC FOA allows for a pair of collaborators. This opportunity is for one Applicant and one Collaborator per https://www.arl.army.mil/ https://www.nre.navy.mil/ https://www.afrl.af.mil/AFOSR/ application. The only allowable key personnel are the Applicant/PI and Collaborator/co-

PI.

16. Besides the topics of interest, any research topic present in the open broad agency announcements (BAAs) are also welcome. Is that correct?

Applications accepted under the current DEPSCoR – RC FOA are limited to the 13 topics listed in the FOA. However, we would encourage you to contact program officers to discuss any topics in the open Broad Agency Announcements available through the tri-service basic research offices at any time. Please see question 10 for links to the tri-service basic research offices.

17. Can a DURIP awardee serve as a Mentor/Collaborator?

Yes, a Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) award is considered a prime DoD research award, so DURIP awardees are eligible to serve as a Collaborator/Mentor in the Research Collaboration program, provided it is active between 1 Oct 2015 and 30 Sep 2022, and assuming all other criteria are met.

18. Is the collaborative research the only way to get the DEPSCoR award? Or does

DEPSCoR allow for single PI applications?

For DEPSCoR, the Research Collaboration and Capacity Building opportunities are the only ones available currently. However, you are not restricted to DEPSCoR-specific funding. You are eligible to apply for the multitude of other DoD funding opportunities available. Please see the links to the tri-service basic research offices listed in question 10 for additional DoD Basic Research funding opportunities.

19. Can the mentor and PI be from the same school?

Yes, the PI and collaborator/mentor can be from the same school if it is in a DEPSCoR eligible state/territory. However, the PI and mentor/collaborator do not have to be from the same school and there is no preference given for the same or different locations.

20. Does the collaborator have to be a full-time faculty? For example, if a professor works primarily in a non-DEPSCoR state, but holds an adjunct position at an IHE in an EPSCoR state, are they eligible?

The Collaborator must hold a tenure or tenure-track position at an IHE in a DEPSCoR eligible state/territory. An adjunct position would not meet the eligibility requirements under the DEPSCoR – RC FOA.

21. Are there travel funds available to attend DEPSCoR DoD day in South Dakota?

No, funding for travel to the DEPSCoR Day is not available.

22. My potential collaborator is the scientific PI for an ERDC grant but the overall PI is the director of a university research center. Will he be eligible to be my mentor?

No, to be eligible, the Collaborator must be listed as a PI on a direct DoD award.

23. I've tried two different servers and unable to get into dod-basicresearch.nvision.noblis.org site is there a server you know works

If you have any problems accessing the website, please email the Website Support team at: dod-basicresearch@noblis.org

24. What is the benefit of being a Collaborator/Mentor in Research Collaboration opportunities?

One benefit would be a collaborative research project in which you would receive funding for your research. In addition, as part of the scientific community, you would have the opportunity to mentor new PIs and introduce them to the DoD ecosystem.

25. Is a management plan required at the white paper stage for the Capacity Building grant?

The white paper package requires that a brief management plan be included in the Capacity Building Narrative. Please see the FOA for more details.

26. Are there any suggestions on how to allocate the budget between the Applicant/PI and Collaborator/Mentor?

The Applicant/PI must be allocated at least 50% of the awarded funds. Beyond that, the allocation is up to you and what makes the most sense for the collaborative work the Applicant and Collaborator are proposing.

Within the funding for the applicant and collaborator, each should also determine how to best allocate those funds (key personnel salary, post-doc/graduate student salary, materials, supplies, travel, etc.).

27. Does receiving DURIP preclude from participating as the DEPSCoR Applicant/PI?

A DURIP award is a prime DoD research award so if you received a DURIP and you are the PI listed on the award document, you would not be eligible to apply as an Applicant for the DEPSCoR Research Collaboration opportunity. You would be eligible to serve as the Collaborator, provided you meet all other eligibility criteria.

mailto:dod-basicresearch@noblis.org

28. Can there be Collaborators from other universities in the state for Capacity Building?

Yes, collaborators from different universities can participate in an application for the DEPSCoR – Capacity Building FOA, provided all universities are in a DEPSCoR-eligible states/territories.

29. Can the Collaborator be from a DEPSCoR-eligible state but a small business?

For the Research Collaboration opportunity, both the Applicant and the Collaborator must be from Institutions of Higher Education (IHE). They cannot be from a small business.

For the Capacity Building opportunity, all the funding must go to the IHE. However, if you do have small businesses that are interested in the capacity that you are building, they are certainly welcome to provide letters of recommendation or support and they can collaborate, but they cannot be funded. All DEPSCoR funding must go to the IHE.

30. Will there be one Capacity Building award this year (subject to funding availability), similar to last year?

For FY22, we anticipate up to 4 awards under the DEPSCoR – CB FOA. In FY21, we awarded 2 awards under the DEPSCOR – CB FOA.

31. Would you recommend selecting a Collaborator whose expertise is most relevant to the proposed project or a Collaborator who would be a good mentor for working with DoD? Is the Collaborator's expertise part of evaluation criteria?

The Collaborator’s scientific expertise is considered part of the evaluation criteria. It should be a collaborative research project, so you should select a Collaborator who can contribute scientifically to the basic research question you are trying to address. The Collaborator must also be able to provide mentorship and have experience working with the DoD enterprise.

32. Can we get the details of the past CB winners?

Please see the press release announcing all DEPSCoR awardees for the FY21 DEPSCoR program:

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3030463/department-of-defense-announces-fiscal-year-2021-defense-established-program-to/

33. How many research collaboration proposals are funded?

We anticipate funding approximately 25 Research Collaboration proposals for FY22.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3030463/department-of-defense-announces-fiscal-year-2021-defense-established-program-to/ https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3030463/department-of-defense-announces-fiscal-year-2021-defense-established-program-to/

34. What is the landing page for the RunGrants site?

35. Should both Collaborators and Applicants/PIs be registered in the RunGrants website to submit a white paper or proposal?

Only the Applicant needs to register, but the RunGrants application can be shared with the Collaborator. While sharing the application is optional, entering the Collaborator contact information in the Contacts step is required. Whitepapers are submitted through the RunGrants application. Full proposals must be submitted through grants.gov

36. Is there a limit to the number of submissions from a single institution or Applicant?

The DEPSCoR Research Collaboration opportunity does not have a limit of applications for institutions of higher education, but each individual Applicant is limited to one submission. For the Capacity Building opportunity, each IHE is limited to one submission.

37. Do you plan to have virtual options for DEPSCoR Day in the future?

Over the past couple of years, in response to COVID-19 travel restrictions, we have done some virtual DEPSCoR outreach events. However, we really like getting out there in person to engage directly with researchers. Right now, our plan is to move to in-person outreach events with no virtual options planned. One of the great opportunities that we have during those outreach events are the one-on-one conversations that take place between the Program Officers (POs) participating and the DEPSCoR community. That is really hard to recreate in a virtual environment in a way that is equitable to those participating remotely and in-person. Right now, we will focus on our in-person events.

We will reassess next year and may look into doing some virtual events as well. We will let you know, and we welcome feedback on this.

38. Does the Collaborator/Co-PI need to collaborate with the Applicant/PI in the research or just provide mentorship?

Collaborators must collaborate on research and provide mentoring. They need to do both.